Qualifications

Core Maths

Core Maths is an umbrella term for a specific type of level 3 maths qualification. These qualifications are only available in England.

Core Maths qualifications are equal in size to an AS level qualification and are graded A-E. They have the same UCAS tariff points as an AS level qualification, and they’re included in the government’s 16-19 performance tables and the TechBacc performance measure. Core Maths is usually studied over a two-year period and can be taken alongside A levels or vocational courses.

Core Maths is an incredibly useful qualification to gain. It helps students make sense of the information they will meet in the workplace, further study, or later life. It’s an ideal option for students who’ve passed GCSE Mathematics at grade 4 or better, but who have not chosen to study AS or A level Mathematics.

The first Core Maths examinations took place in 2016, since which entry numbers have grown rapidly, as this summary shows.

Studying Core Maths helps students by:

developing their quantitative and problem-solving skills
giving them confidence in understanding mathematical content in other courses they are taking
helping them become better informed citizens by being able to make sense of the information they meet in the workplace, further study, or later life

There are four Core Maths qualifications:

All four focus on using and applying maths, and include many ideas and skills that support maths in other courses, such as:

interpreting solutions in the context of the problem
understanding sources of error and bias when problem-solving
working with data
understanding risk and probability
understanding variation in statistics
using exponential functions to model growth and decay

Most Core Maths qualifications also include:

percentage change
interpretation of graphs
financial maths
using standard units
Fermi estimation
the Normal distribution
correlation, knowing it does not imply causation
making and evaluating assumptions when modelling or problem-solving

If you’d like to find out more about Core Maths, and the extensive support that’s available for offering it to your students, please visit the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme website.